sarahhart•6d agoRising Star

That pour at the old Ford plant site changed my whole process

Back in 2013 I was on a crew doing the foundation for the old Ford plant reno in Richmond. We had to pour 80 yards in one shot on a 90 degree day. Sun was cooking the slab before we could even finish floating it. That's when the foreman made us stop and wet the whole bed down before the truck arrived. I still do that every time now. It buys you at least 10 extra minutes of working time. Anybody else run into weather surprises that forced you to change your routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

luna_green6d ago

I once had a slab start setting up before we even got the tape off the expansion joints. Foreman just stood there smoking and said "well that's a problem for future us." I started wetting everything down before pours after that too. People act like concrete math is simple until the sun decides to roast your whole day. It's always the weather. Not the mud. Not the mix. Just the stupid weather.

skyler_kim6d ago

You said "well that's a problem for future us" and that reminds me of something people never talk about. Nobody ever considers how the ground itself can mess with concrete. I mean the actual dirt underneath. If there's a cold spot in the ground from old buried stuff or a wet spot from a broken pipe that just got covered up, it'll pull heat out of the concrete in one spot and make it set different. Then you get a weird patch that's hard and crumbly while the rest is fine. Everyone blames the weather but sometimes it's the ground playing tricks on you.